Device for holding shingled record sheets



Oct. 17, 1939. R ELL|s v 2,176,567

DEVICE FOR HOLDING SHINGLED RECORD SHEETS Filed Jan. 28, 1937 QMWJ | /7a; f! /6 g 1 5 N 3 H v L \JVJ llw slvrok. EMEu/s,

A5 flrroEn/EK Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES ()FFIQE DEVICE FORHOLDING SHINGLED RECORD SHEETS 9 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for holding shingled record sheets.Briefly stated, the device herein described is adapted to hold a verylarge number of overlapped record sheets, or

5 strips, so arranged that a margin of each sheet is exposed. Anarrangement of sheets in this manner is said to be shingled because insome respects it corresponds to the arrangement of shingles on a roof, amargin of each sheet being exposed. These exposed margins usuallycontain information identifying the subjects of the respective sheets,as well as some more specific detailed information, which can be read ata glance, without disturbing the group of sheets. For example, inkeeping pay-roll records, each sheet may have blank spaces for entriesconcerning the time of the employee, the amounts earned, and the kindsof different work on which he was engaged; while the exposed margin mayshow the name of the employee, and the totals of various items. Devicesof this type are quite old, particularly in handling very large numbersof records, such as the pay rolls for numerous employees, and other workwherein a multiplicity of record sheets, or strips, is used.

In View of the extremely large number of sheets to be handled, an objectis to reduce the time and labor involved in properly arranging thesheets in the holder, so as to expose a predetermined marginal portionof each sheet. Another object is to permit free removal and replacementof any selected sheet, without disturbing the remaining sheets. Afurther object is to readilyclose the marginal space that may be left bya permanent removal of any selected sheet.

The old devices of this kind are quite expensive, and they require asubstantial amount of time in arranging the lapped sheets to properlyexpose the marginal portion of each sheet.

The simple device herein disclosed includes an alining member having astraight face forming an abutment for the upper edges of the sheets, anda few simple frictional elements which firmly secure the lapped sheetsand permit free removal of any selected sheet.

In using devices for alining and securing shingled sheets, it is oftennecessary to employ a large number of the devices, and to have themavailable for frequent reference to the different subjects covered bythe numerous sheets in the several devices. Therefore, an object of thepresent invention is to produce a simple device of this kind adapted tobe filed as a page in a looseleaf binder. To illustrate this feature, Iwill hereinafter describe a device comprising a flexible backing sheetwhich may be regarded as a page for the binder, said backing sheet beingprovided with means for alining and securing the shingled sheets at oneof its margins. Another marginal portion of the backing sheet isextended beyond the area of the shingled sheets and provided with meansfor attaching the entire device, including the alined shingled sheets,to a loose-leaf binder. This feature can be very conveniently employedduring the periods in which the shingled sheets are in active service,and also when they are to be filed as permanent inactive records. Thesimple backing sheet also enables the operator to very readily handlethe entire device in making entries on the sheets, and in copyingselected in- 5 formation therefrom.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention comprisesthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore specifically described and shown in the accompanying drawing, whichillustrates one form of the invention. However, it is to be understoodthat the invention comprehends changes, variations and modificationswithin the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Fig. l is a top View of a device embodying features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top view, drawn to a larger scale, showing someof the elements at the top of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 33 in Fig. 2.

As a general illustration of the subject, Fig. 1 shows a series ofrecord sheets numbered 1 to 10 inclusive, each number being at the topof a column at a side marginal portion of a sheet, and the severalsheets being lapped to produce an arrangement of shingled sheets whereinthe series of marginal columns is exposed. These exposed margins areadapted to receive entries relating to the subjects of the variousrecord sheets. In actual practice, an extremely large number of sheetscan be arranged in this manner, but the subject is illustrated by therelatively few sheets shown in Fig. 1.

The series of sheets may be assembled upon a suitable backing member ll,preferably made of thin sheet material. For example, said backing membermay be an inexpensive sheet of flexible paper having a suitable aliningdevice at one of 1 its margins to receive edges of the record sheets.The alining device herein shown is a strip of metal approximatelyL-shaped in cross-section (Fig. 2), having a bottom member l2 locatedbelow and secured to the backing sheet II, and

an alining member I?! which extends upwardly from said bottom member l2.This alining member l3 has a straight inner face which provides anelongated abutment for the adjacent straight edges of the shingledrecord sheets.

In assembling the sheets, the desired alinement can be easily andquickly obtained by merely forcing the straight upper edges of saidsheets onto the straight abutment formed by the simple alining device,and the shingled arrangement is produced by lapping the sheets to exposethe predetermined marginal column of each sheet.

After the record sheets have been assembled on the backing member i i,with their upper edges in contact with the straight alining member 13,the entire series of shingled sheets can be firmly secured by means of asimple friction device which positively retains the predeterminedarrangement of said sheets. To illustrate one form of this feature, Ihave shown friction members l4 adapted to force the mass of shingledsheets onto the backing member l l, and clamping members whichdetachably secure said friction members. Various different details maybe employed to accomplish these results, so it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the specific forms of the frictionmembers and clamping elements which will now be described.

Each of the friction members Hi shown in the drawing is an elongatedhollow member having a flat bottom face (Fig. 3) adapted to extend overand press downwardly upon a group of the shingled sheets. This elongatedfriction member M is located adjacent to and parallel with the aliningmember 53, and it can be adjusted 1ongitudinally to selectively securegroups of the alined shingled sheets.

To illustrate a suitable means for detachably securing the frictionmembers 14, I have shown yieldable clamping devices embracing thealining member l3 and engaging the friction members Hi to force themonto the alined shingled sheets. Each of these clamping devices mayinclude a spring having a bottom member 55 (Fig. 3) located below thebacking member and engaging the metallic member 52 of the aliningdevice, and a yieldable top member i 6 located above the friction memberHi. If desired, this yieldable member l6 may be provided with a pivotedthrust lever i! (Fig. 3) having a lower end adapted to engage thefriction member Hi to provide additional spring pressure. Operatinghandles 18 and I9 may be pivoted to the yieldable clamping device, asshown in Figures 2 and 3.

As a detail, to aid in firmly clamping the assembled sheets, theslidable friction members may be wedged onto said sheets. For example,an inclined wedging member 28 may extend from the alining member 53(Fig. 3) so as to lie direct- 1y above the record sheets, and eachfriction member 5 i may be provided With a correspondingly inclinedupper face engaging said inclined wedging member 223. In this specificform of the invention, the friction member l4 acts as a Wedge inclamping the shingled record sheets onto the backing member.

This wedging friction member M (Fig. 3) may be made of spring metal, andthe wedging flange 2E3 cooperating therewith may be yieldable.

When a series of sheets is to be assembled on the backing member H, thefrictional clamping devices are removed to provide an unobstructed spaceleading to the alining abutment E3. The numerous sheets can then be veryeasily and quickly forced onto this simple alining member and arrangedin the predetermined shingled condition. One or more of the elongatedfriction members I is then applied to the assembled sheets to detachablysecure them to the backing member. The number of attaching devicesemployed will depend upon area occupied by the assembled sheets.However, each of these attaching devices can be adjusted transversely ofthe exposed margins of the shingled sheets, in opposite directionsparallel with the alining member 53, so as to selectively secure anydesired number of sheets.

To remove any selected record sheet one, or more, of the attachingdevices can be adjusted transversely of the sheets to release theselected sheet, and to firmly hold the sheets at one or both sides ofsaid selected sheet. Therefore, any sheet can be readily selected andpulled from the other sheets without disturbing the shingledarrangement, and after a sheet has been removed, the resultant space canbe closed by releasing and shifting the sheets at one side of the space.

It will now be understood that the simple device herein disclosed,comprising an inexpensive backing member which may be made of flexiblematerial having a simple upstanding alining membar at one of its edges,combined with a simple friction device to' secure the mass of alinedshingled sheets, has a number of important advantages not obtainablefrom the more complex,

expensive and cumbersome devices ordinarily employed in this art.

Another feature of the invention lies in the production of a device foralining and holding shingled sheets having its elements so arranged thatthe entire device, including the mass of shingled sheets, can be veryreadily filed for convenient reference. For example, the device hereinshown has a flexible backing sheet adapted to be filed as a page in abinder. One of the marginal portions of said backing sheet is providedwith a suitable means for alining and securing the mass of shingledsheets, and another margin of the same sheet is provided with means forreceiving the attaching devices of a binder. In Fig. l the means foralining and securing the shingled sheets appears at the top margin ofthe backing sheet, and this backing sheet has a binder-receiving marginat its left side, extending beyond the area of the shingled sheets.binder-receiving margin may be provided with a series of alinedperforations 2i to receive the detachable attaching devices of anordinary loose leaf binder. A group of the backing sheets with shingledrecord sheets attached to the respective backing members can beconveniently filed together, either as an active file or as a permanentfile.

If desired, the mass of alined shingled sheets can be riveted, orotherwise permanently attached to the flexible backing sheets, when theentire group of sheets is to be filed asapermanent record. However, theentire device including the attaching and alining means is so simple andinexpensive that all of its elements may be retained with the permanentrecords, after these elements have performed their functions in aliningand securing the active record sheets.

.I claim:

1. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a backing member provided with alining means adaptedto be engaged by edges of the shingled sheets, and a clamping deviceassociated with said alining means to secure the aligned shingledsheets, said This extended I clamping device including an elongatedfriction member arranged approximately parallel with said alining meansso as to extend over a group of the alined shingled sheets; saidelongated friction member being adjacent to and adjustable in adirection parallel with said alining means, and a yieldable device tosecure said elongated friction member in the positions to which it isadjusted.

2. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a backing member provided with alining means adaptedto be engaged by edges of the shingled sheets, and a clamping deviceassociated with said alining means to secure the alined shingled sheets,said clamping device including a wedge member adjustable transversely ofthe exposed marginal portions of said sheets in a direction parallelwith the aligning means to selectively secure groups of the shingledsheets.

3. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a backing member provided with alining means adaptedto be engaged by edges of the shingled sheets, and a clamping deviceassociated with said alining means to secure the alined shingled sheets,said clamping device including an elongated wedge adjustabletransversely of the exposed marginal portions of said sheets in adirection parallel with the aligning means to selectively secure groupsof the shingled sheets, and a yieldable member cooperating with saidwedge to prevent accidental displacement of the selected group of alinedshingled sheets.

4. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a flexible backing sheet having a straight aliningstrip extending upwardly from one of its margins to provide a straightalining abutment for edges of the shingled sheets, an elongated frictionmember having a bottom face adapted to engage the alined shingledsheets, said elongated friction member being adjacent to and parallelwith said alining member and adjustable longitudinally thereof to engageselected groups of the shingled sheets, and yieldable means whereby saidelongated friction member is forced toward said backing sheet to clampthe selected group of shingled sheets.

5. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a flexible backing sheet having a straight aliningstrip extending upwardly from one of its margins to provide a straightalining abutment for edges of the shingled sheets, an elongated frictionmember having a bottom face adapted to engage the alined shingledsheets, said elongated friction member being adjacent to and parallelwith said alining member and adjustable longitudinally thereof to engageselected groups of the shingled sheets, and yieldable means whereby saidelongated friction member is forced toward said backing sheet to clampthe selected group of shingled sheets, said yieldable means including ayieldable device embracing said alining member and engaging saidelongated friction member.

6. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a flexible backing sheet having a straight aliningstrip extending upwardly from one of its margins to provide a straightalining abutment for edges of the shingled sheets, a wedging memberextending from said alining strip so as to lie directly above said edgesof the sheets, an elongated wedge having an upper face engaging saidwedging member and a lower face adapted to engage the shingled sheets,said elongated wedge being parallel with said alining member andadjustable longitudinally thereof to engage selected groups of theshingled sheets, and yieldable means whereby said elongated wedge isforced toward said alining member to clamp the selected group ofshingled sheets.

7. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a flexible backing sheet having a straight aliningstrip extending upwardly from one of its margins to provide a straightalining abutment for edges of the shingled sheets, an inclined wedgingmember extending from said alining strip so as to lie directly abovesaid edges of the sheets, an elongated wedge having an inclined upperface engaging said inclined wedging member and a fiat lower face adaptedto engage the shingled sheets, said elongated wedge being parallel withsaid alining member and adjustable longitudinally thereof to en- 8. In adevice for holding shingled record sheetshaving exposed marginalportions, a flexible backing sheet having a straight alining memberextending from one of its margins to provide a straight alining abutmentfor edges of the shingled sheets, and a yieldable clamping deviceembracing said margin of the flexible backing sheet to secure the alinedshingled sheets, said yieldable clamping device including a yieldablebottom clamping member extending under said alining member and a topclamping member extending over said alining member.

9. In a device for holding shingled record sheets having exposedmarginal portions, a backing member having a straight alining memberextending from one of its margins to provide a straight alining abutmentfor edges of the shingled sheets, and a yieldable clamping deviceembracing said margin of the backing member to secure the alinedshingled sheets, said yieldable clamping device including a bottomclamping member extending under said backing member and a top clampingmember extending over said backing member, so as to locate the aliningabutment and said edges of the shingled sheets between the top andbottom clamping members, both of said clamping members being adjustablein a direction approximately parallel with said alining abutment.

ROBERT H. ELLIS.

